Spring-buffer for railway-cars



(No Mael.) f

C. A. SCHROYER.

SPRING BUFFER FOR RAILWAY CARS.

No. 397,312. Patented Peb. 5,1889.

` ji Charles S/yygy UNTTED STATES PATnNT @Furono CHARLES ALBERT SCI'IROYER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SPRING-BUFFER FOR RAILWAYBCARS.

SPECIFICATO'N forming part of Letters Patent No. 397,312, dated February 5, 1889.

Application filed August '7, 1388. Serial No. 282,188. (No model.)

To all whom it 71mg/ con/cern:

Be it known that I, 'CHARLns ALBERT SCHROYER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Spring-Buft'- ers, of which' the following' is a specification.

It has heretofore been usual in thc construction of so-ealled vestibule( cars to attach the angle-plates, to which the lower edges of the face-plates of the extensible hoods are fastened, to the buffer-stems, in order to utilize the buffer-springs in maintaining thcrequisite constant contact between the faceplates. It has now been found that when so constructed the knuckles of the angle-plates, if the cars were closely coupled, ate into the buffer-beam and injured it, and if the cars were not closely coupled that the faceplates themselves did not remain in constan t contact, but sometimes became separated, leaving an inconvenient g'ap between them. The pressure exerted by the powerful buffer-springs also rendered lit very .ditlicnlt to unconple the cars. In other words, to give the plaies such play as was required would necessitate a corresponding Compression of the buffer-springs; but these springs also act to hold the coupling-faces of the coupling-hooks in contact, and if thus compressed would exert a pressure so great that it would be almost impossible to separate the hooks -to uneouple the cars.

To overcome the above defects the object of my present invention, an d I accomplish this by arranging springs of different strengths in such a way that the powerful springs used in buffing shall be but partially compressed when the cars are coupled and weaker springs shall exert their force to maintain the constant contact between the face-plates, allowing the required amount of play.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan view of the platform of a vestibule-car with the dooring removed; and Fig. 3, a longitlnlinal vertical section taken on the line 2 of Fig. l, looking in the direction of the arrow.

A is the end eross-beam of thc car; I), the platform-sills; C, the buffer-beam; I), a rightangled plate attached to the lower end of the face-plate, forming the rim of the extensible hood in vestibulei'l cars; E, the buffer-stem; F j, the buffer-springs; G, an auxiliary spring intended to aid in forcing outthe angle-plate; M M, rods supporting spiral springs ll Il, which aid in keeping' the angle-plate in proper position; in. m, collars :fastened to the rods M M to compress the sprin H ll; I, a bolt connecting the lniffci.'stem with. the angle-plate; .'I, a pin to prevent the buffer-stein being pushed too far forward; K, a collar on the buffer-stem against which the springs F and f 6o may be fastened to the stem or left free tov slide upon it, as desired, and bearing against this are placed the bi'iffer-springs having' a total force to resist the bufiing-shock of about eighteen thousand pounds. These springs bear at their rear ends against a follower sliding upon the buffer-stem and in ways formed in the platform-sills. Back of these springs is the auxiliary spring G, supported on the stem and bearing against the rearward side of the follower; The face-plate of the vestibule extends somewhat beyond the coupling-faces of the coupling-hooks, so that the face-plates will be pushed back in the Voperation of coupling, and thus remain after the cars are coupled. To aid in keeping the angl e-plates in proper position, I use the rods M M and springs H H, which continually force outI the ends of the angle-plates, with which they are connected, and aid in preserving the contact of the faceplates, espccially when rounding curves.

The other details of construction will be obvious from the drawings.

Mydeviees operate as follows: XVhen the pressure is applied in coupling cars, the faceplate is forced back against the springs. The springs .F and j' being much stiffer than the spring G, the follower will be pushed back and the spring G compressed until the follower has reached the ends of its bearings in the sills, having moved, say, ione and onequarter inch, at which timethe spring G ex- IOO erts a force otl about eight hundred pounds. The follower being then held from further backward movement, any further pressure on the angle-plate will compress the springs F and j. In order to allow the coupling-hooks to pass each other far enough to enable their coupling-faces to engage, it will be necessary to compress these latter springs, say, six-six tcenths ot' an inch, when they will exert a torce of about six thousand pounds. The angle-plates and attached face-plates will thus be kept Ain constant contact by the auxiliary spring` G, aided to some extent by the springs F and j', while any further shock resulting from butling will be sustained by the springs F and f. Thus it will be seen that the faceplates are held together, and also the coupling-hooks, when the cars are coupled and at rest, by a pressure ot' about six thousand eight hundred pounds, and that this only is the pressure that has to be overcome in uncoupling. It will also be seen that sufficient play is thus given to cach face-plate, while at the same time springs of sutiicicnt strength are provided to sustain the hurling.

Another advantage resulting lroin the use of. my improvement consists in the lessening ol' the sudden shocks caused by the application oi' the brakes, especially in emergency stops. \Vith the ordinary Cowell or .lanney coupler, when the train is running the drawbar is drawn tornf'ard, drawing the faceplate with it, and while in that position there is no force behind the t:'1ce1 lates to withstand a sudden shock. lt, then, the bra-kes are applied and the ears driven against cach other, the result is a shock more or less violent, according to the torce exerted by thebrakes. A\Vith my improvement, however, the tace-plates are always t'oreed out by the auxiliary springs, so that the first blow is sustained by them,

while, as the cars are still further forced to- L cars without the vestibule, in connection with any of the wellknown extensible platforms,

such as the Cowell.

l claim-n l. In connection with an extensible plat- 55 form, a spring-butter comprising a buiten stem, butter-springs, a follower, and an auxiliary spring` compressible before the buffersprings, substantially as described.

Q. In connection with an extensible plat 6o upon the buer-stem and the auxiliary spring 65 being first compressed when the cars are brought together, the buffer-springs being somewhat compressed when the cars are brought nealI enough to couple, and being still further compressible to take up the bufng 7o strain, substantially as described. n

The combination of a vestibule angle#v plate, a butferstem, buffer-springs F and f, a-

follower, L, and an auxiliary spring, G, compressible before the imiter-spring, substan- 75 tially as described.

4. The combination ot a vestibule angleplate, a butter-stem, buft'er-sprin a weaker auxiliary spring, and a Vfollower between the springs, all the springs being supported on 8o the stem, and the auxiliary sprilig beingiirst compressed when the cars are brought to gether, the butter-springs being somewhat. compressed when the cars are brought near enough to couple, and being still further com- 8 5 pressible to take up the buiiing strain, sub-l stantially as described.

5. The combination oi' a Vestibuleai 1glc plate, a butter-stem, limiter-springs F and j', a

weaker auxiliary spring, G, a follower, L, 9o

and springs H H, mounted on rods M M, which aid the spring G in forcing out the angie-plate and keep it in proper position, sub? stantially as described.

(i. The combination oi' the tace-plate of the 95 extensible hood of a vestibule-car, a buiten' stem connected therewith, butter-springs, a follower, and an auxiliary spring compressi-v ble before the biiit'ei-spriiigs, substantially as described.

cuantas Athena" sensoren.

lVitnesses:

C. R. Bannon, JOHN CARLSON. 

